Individuals, small businesses and major corporations the (“Shipper(s)”) ship billions of parcels every year (small office/home office shippers are referred to as “SOHO” Shippers). Each parcel, also sometimes referred to herein as a package, is shipped by a Shipper using at least one parcel carrier (the “carrier(s)”, or “Carrier(s)”).
Each parcel is characterized by a set of “Parcel Specifications.” Parcel specifications include but are not limited to such factors as: parcel dimensions, parcel weight, parcel value, parcel value and the like.
Each Shipper is faced with certain shipping requirements and limitations (“Shipping Requirements”), such as the location from which the parcel is to be shipped, time frame within which the particular parcel must arrive at its destination, the ability of the shipper to drop off the parcel, budgetary constraints with regard to the cost of shipping, insurance against loss, delivery notification, loss protection, and the like.
Each Carrier has its own unique rating schedule, and delivery and pickup rules and schedules for each of a multitude of different services. In some cases, a particular Carrier's rules may be available in a standalone Carrier-provided paper-based or computer system. Many Shippers attempt to work with each of the standalone, individual paper-based and computer Carrier-provided systems (“standalone Carrier system environment”) in order to ship a parcel.
A Shipper that uses standalone Carrier systems must sort through the various services offered by each carrier and apply each Carrier's rules to determine whether one or more carriers offer a service with which to deliver a particular parcel according to the Shipper's requirements. If the Shipper determines that more than one carrier offers a service with which to deliver a particular parcel according to the Shipper's requirements, then the particular Shipper might additionally be concerned with selecting a carrier and service that provide shipping services at the optimal price.
One of the problems in dealing with standalone Carrier systems is that in order for a Shipper to compare services and pricing for shipping a single parcel with multiple Carriers, the Shipper must apply each Carrier's rules for calculating a “dimensional weight” to the physical dimensions and weight of a particular parcel. Because each Carrier may limit shipping to parcels that do not exceed a particular dimensional weight, the Shipper must determine whether each of the plurality of Carriers supports shipping the particular package. For those Carriers that support shipping the particular parcel, the Shipper must apply the Carrier's parcel shipment pricing rules to the dimensional weight of the particular parcel and to other factors regarding the Shipper's shipping requirements in order to determine a price that each Carrier would charge for shipping the particular parcel. Accordingly, some way is needed so that a Shipper can accurately and easily determine whether each Carrier supports shipping a particular parcel and the shipping rate for each of a plurality of services offered by each of the plurality of Carriers.
Another problem in dealing with standalone Carrier systems is that in order for a Shipper to compare services and pricing for shipping a single parcel with multiple Carriers, the Shipper must apply each Carrier's rules for determining a “Billable weight” to the physical dimensions, dimensional weight, and actual weight of a particular parcel. Because each Carrier may limit shipping to parcels that do not exceed certain physical characteristics, the Shipper must determine whether each of the plurality of Carriers supports shipping the particular package. For those Carriers that support shipping the particular parcel, the Shipper must apply the Carrier's parcel shipment pricing rules to the Billable weight of the particular parcel and to other factors regarding the Shipper's shipping requirements in order to determine a price that each Carrier would charge for shipping the particular parcel. Accordingly, some way is needed so that a Shipper can accurately and easily determine the Billable weight of a particular parcel for each of a plurality of Carriers and the shipping rate for each of a plurality of services offered by each of the plurality of Carriers.